Dubai Modest Fashion Week – Mosika

After having successful shows in Istanbul and London, Modest Fashion Week was held in Dubai at Burj Park, which showcased work of modest fashion designers from all over the world. GLOSS got a chance to speak with Mosika, the designer of Desert Cove and got some insight into the modest fashion revolution.

Demure and loose-fitting clothing were seen walking the ramps in recent fashion shows showcased by top designers. While this concept may seem new, it in fact has been around for quite some time but just recently took its due place in the limelight, namely in the form of Modest Fashion.

The notion arose from the necessity and desire to wear clothes that cover the body rather than expose it, and with the lack of options available providing that need.

This resulted with many Modest Fashion designers emerging but struggling to step into mainstream. Courtesy social media, many brands and designers took upon bloggers and influencers to help spread the word, reigning success but to a certain extent.

Enter the dynamic duo, Franka Soeria and Ozlem Sahin, the brains behind Modest Fashion Week. This platform allowed those designers to grab media attention and promote their message on a larger scale.

Soeria and Sahin, joined together to form ThinkFashion, a consultancy firm specialising in marketing, production and events. After stepping in this area, and visiting various countries, they quickly realized that the need for Modest Fashion was high but there was no “global platform for the market.” Hence, the creation of Modest Fashion Week, where they brought together designers, influencers, buyers and media to promote the message on a broader spectrum.

After Istanbul and London, Dubai was the famous choice. With Dubai already popular amongst all and an understanding of modest attire within women, made the decision easy. Moreover, with Dubai rating high in consumerism and their desire for style, made it more tempting, why many top designers like Dolce and Gabbana introduced an abaya line exclusively for the Middle East. Burj Park was chosen for its prominent location next to Burj Khalifa to create familiarity and a bigger impact.

Dubai Modest Fashion Week was a two-day event showcasing more than 30 fashion shows and 50 booths, of designers from over 20 countries. There were also various workshops, feature talks covering many different fashion topics and art exhibitions held. Highlights from the show included famous hijab-wearing models, Halima Aden and Mariah Idrissi, walking the runway. In addition, an Emerging Modest Fashion Designer Award was given providing that designer funding and an opportunity to see their collection on the runway.

Amidst all the innovation and creativity, our eye got caught on an upcoming brand called Desert Cove, a stylish and affordable clothing line catering to the needs of all especially those wearing a hijab. Their focus is to create clothes that are fashionable yet conveniently tailored to properly cover the body. Their fashion show was filled with casual and formal wear giving their viewers a lot of variety and style.

After a successful show, we got a chance to speak to the designer of Desert Cove, Mosika, and her experience at Dubai Modest Fashion Week.

“Basically the brand is a challenge on the conventional fashion industry. We take conventional current fashion trends, and we “hijabify” them. Meaning that we put long sleeves on them, long length, high necklines, not body hugging and not transparent,” said, Mosika when asked about her brand.

Adding further she said, “We aim to solve hijabis problems by making our items exactly what they need and accessible to all hijabis, in terms of price point delivery and payment options.”

Her experience in Dubai has been a pleasant one. The response has been great for her and the brand.

“It was good to see that the modesty movement is really alive and well. I was so inspired by the other designers who are also focused on modesty. It really was heartwarming to see so many other designers who shared the same vision as me, through different designs.”

My customers are all giving me the comment and feedback that they needed this and how this is just what they were looking for. My favourite piece of feedback recently was that “Desert Cove is every hijabis dream come true.”

“We are very close to our customers, we ask what they want and we give it to them, hence, all the customers are welcoming when they see our pieces,” told Mosika about her customers feedback.

Desert Cove is paving their way into Modest Fashion. Their thorough research and constant communication with everyone in the community, from consumers to influencers, while keeping the demographics of Dubai in mind, is what is making them stand out. Their new collection Astir, meaning to ‘move around with excitement,’ is soon to hit the market soon. The items in the collection are perfect for every day or night. Mosika wants hijabis to feel free to just put on their clothes and jump out of the house.

Adding on she said, “Modest Fashion is a revolution, it’s a movement. While it feels that it’s new, it’s not. There have been many players in the market who have been working on it for a long time. It’s now that the movement is gaining more momentum because girls are being vocal about different fashion needs and want them to be met. I am thoroughly excited for this space and for modest fashion to show the conventional fashion industry and we can do it as well, if not better than them!”